Qosh Tepa Canal

The Qosh Tepa Canal (Persian: کانال قوش تپه; Uzbek: Qoʻshtepa kanali) is a canal being built in northern Afghanistan to divert 650 cusec (cubic meters per second) water from the Amu Darya (Amu River).[1] The main canal is expected to be 285 km long and the overall initiative seeks to convert 550,000 hectares of desert into farmland.[2]The Qosh Tepa Canal begins in Balkh province, and ends in the Faryab province while passing through Jowzjan[3]

Qosh Tepa Canal
Specifications
Length285 km (177 miles)
StatusUnder construction
History
Original owner Afghanistan
Construction began2022
Geography
Start pointKaldar District, Balkh Province, Afghanistan
Branch ofAmu River

The government of Afghanistan has made the canal a priority project and the construction begun in early 2022.[1] Images supplied by Planet Labs showed that from April 2022 to February 2023 more than 100 km of the canal had been excavated.[2] The first phase of the project was completed in October 2023.[4][5] At the same time, work on the second phase began.[6][7]

Independent experts and engineers have expressed skepticism about the project, stating that the Afghan government does not possess the know-how to effectively complete the canal and that financing the project will be difficult.

Water use regime on the Amu River

A formal regime to divide the Amu's waters among the four ex-USSR republics of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan was made during the Soviet period. Being internal to the USSR, these agreements did not reflect Afghanistan's interests.[8]

As of 2022, international treaties were put in place of those agreements. However, Afghanistan was still not a party to any regional or international treaties on using transboundary river waters. As such, no pre-arranged dispute resolution procedures were in place to address the other Amu River basin countries concerns.

The Afghan government argued that Afghanistan has a (generic) right to use the waters of Amu River, irrespective of a formal agreement being in place.[9]

International reaction

Uzbekistan, the main down-river country potentially affected, has expressed concern that the canal will have an adverse effect on its agriculture.[10] In 2023 Uzbek officials held talks with the Taliban on the matter, though no official agreements were reached.

Environmental concerns

Some environmental experts have raised concern that the canal will make the Aral Sea situation worse by diverting even more water from Amu River.[11]

References
  1. "Uzbekistan pursues dialogue with Afghanistan on fraught canal project". Eurasianet. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  2. "The Taliban are digging an enormous canal". The Economist. 16 February 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  3. www.newscentralasia.net/2023/02/20/afghanistan-is-building-an-enormous-canal-to-draw-water-from-amudarya-river-this-may-affect-water-availability-situation-in-central-asia/ Afghanistan is building an enormous canal to draw water from Amudarya River. This may affect water availability situation in Central Asia.
  4. "Stanikzai: Use of Water of Amu River is Right of Afghanistan". TOLOnews. 11 October 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
  5. "Work on Phase I of Qosh Tepa canal finished ahead of deadline". Amu TV. 11 October 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
  6. "Second phase of construction of Qosh Tepa canal inaugurated". Ariana News. October 11, 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  7. "'IEA committed to neighbours rights on Amu River's water'". Pajhwok Afghan News. 11 October 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  8. Kamil, Ikramuddin (2021). "Afghanistan, the Amu Darya Basin and Regional Treaties". Chinese Journal of Environmental Law. 5: 37–62. doi:10.1163/24686042-12340063. S2CID 239716547. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  9. Qooyash, Habib Rahman (19 February 2023). "Mujahid: Afghanistan Has Right to Use Amu River Water". TOLOnews. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  10. Safarov, Ilyos (10 February 2023). ""Толибон"ни Ўзбекистон учун фожиали канални қуришдан тўхтатиб бўладими? — экспертлар билан суҳбат" (in Uzbek). Kun. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  11. Duffy, Seamus (19 April 2023). "What Afghanistan's Qosh Tepa Canal Means for Central Asia". The Diplomat. Retrieved 18 May 2023.

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